Former State Senator Opposes Potential Medical Waste Site In Northeast OKC

Some people in Northeast Oklahoma City want the city to deny a request for a medical waste facility. Former State Senator Connie Johnson said there would be consequences to building this facility so close to a park.

She said the potential facility could be dangerous to her neighborhood’s health. Johnson grew up on the east side near Northeast 23rd Street and served in the Oklahoma Senate for about a decade.

“I think I’ve been given a task of speaking out,” Johnson said. 

Right now, the talk of her neighborhood is a potential medical waste facility site proposed by a group of developers; a facility Johnson believes has no place in that area.

“There’s the potential for increased pollution,” Johnson said. “We expressed our concerns about the potential for leakage.” 

The potential site would rest near Northeast 23rd and North Coltrane Road, within a half-mile of Diggs Park. “We are supporting Ms. Johnson and this effort,” said Nathaniel Batchelder, who serves with the Martin Luther King Alliance. “Everybody matters.” 

Batchelder stands up for his neighbors in a predominantly black community.

"That's why this issue matters," Batchelder said. 

On Tuesday morning, the OKC city council will vote on whether to deny the site. Johnson said she feels the east side deserves better. 

“Cancer rates in my town of Forest Park are off the charts,” Johnson said. “This is the heart of a district that has traditionally been the dumping site for too much of the things that others don’t want in their community.” 

She wants these residents to have a say in what’s built. 

“We have yet to feel like we’re being heard,” Johnson said. “Listen to us. Consider what we’re saying.” 

She hopes tomorrow’s city conversation answers a question. “When will the city start to listen to the residents in this area about what we wanna see?” Johnson said.  

Ward Seven Councilwoman Nikki Nice said she is against this proposed facility.